Touched
by brachan90
Summary: After the death of his mate, Vegeta is left to raise his almost teenaged daughter. Unable to be the mother figure she needs, he hires Marron to be a nanny. But will she be able to melt his frozen heart too?
1. The Dying Roses Plead

Touched 

This is going to be a pretty depressing story, but I'll try to give it a happy ending. The pairing is a very odd one, but that's where the fun is. I don't own DBZ or the related characters, or the song "Touched" by Vast. It's a great song – very Vegeta-ish. 

_1: The Dying Roses Plead_

The moment that Vegeta opened his eyes, he knew. The pain of emptiness inside him was unmistakable. A deepening void in his heart. It had been two years. Two years since she had left him…no, since she had been _taken_ from him. Stolen from a world to which she belonged, and from those who loved her. 

Two years ago, Bulma Briefs Vegeta had been killed in a horrific car accident, leaving behind a grieving husband, son and daughter. The other driver had been drunk, and was sentenced to life-imprisonment (Trunks had managed to convince the judge that this was necessary. He knew that if the driver was ever freed, Vegeta would treat him to a painful death). No one had told Vegeta which jail the driver had been banished to. 

With a gulp of air, Vegeta tried to swallow the pain, and rise to face the day. Since her death, he had felt like part of him was missing. He trained less, he ate less, and did less in general. It was as if he lived less because his mate was no longer living. His friends simply put it down to a "Saiya-jin thing". 

He glanced at the table besides the huge bed that now only held one. The table was choked with photo frames, pictures of Bulma when she was younger, pictures of Bulma when Trunks was a baby, when Bra was a baby. There was even a family photo, with Vegeta almost smiling. A vase of roses was also on the table. Vegeta frowned as he saw the flowers – they were wilting. Seeing the petal dry and lifeless brought all the pain rushing back. 

He yanked them out of the vase and threw them into the bin. He would have to replace them later. 

The Capsule Corp. complex was eerily silent for the morning. Usually, Vegeta would wake to the noise of competing radio and television as his son and daughter got ready for work and school, respectively. But on this morning, the only sound Vegeta's sensitive ears could pick up was the quiet murmur of his children as they spoke to one another. 

The Saiya-jin Prince made his way to the kitchen, where he knew Trunks and Bra would be. He was greeted with a hug from his twelve-year-old daughter as soon as he entered the room. 

"Good morning, Daddy," she said, her voice muffled by his chest. "Did you sleep well?" 

"Fine," he stated. 

"Why don't you sit down? I'll get your breakfast." 

When she was gone, Vegeta turned to his son. "Why isn't the TV on?" 

"I figured there'd be tributes for okaasan, stuff like that," Trunks answered sadly. "And I didn't think it would be good for Bra to be watching stuff like that. I…uh…also said she could take the day of school." 

Vegeta simply nodded, approving his son's decision. It would be best if Bra not go to school. "She does know what day it is?" 

"I think so. She's sort of in denial. Pretending that it's just another normal day, which she gets to have off." 

Bra returned with a plate of food, staggering under the weight. Sure, Vegeta was eating less, but less for a Saiya-jin was still an unbelievable amount of food. 

"ChiChi rang this morning," Trunks stated, changing the subject that he and his father had been discussing. "She said they might drop by around lunchtime." 

"Good, Kakarrot and I haven't had a good spar in a while," Vegeta growled, his mouth full. 

Aside fro her own family, Goku had been the one most affected by Bulma's death. She had been his closest friend since he was a child, and he almost understood what Vegeta was going through – almost, but not quite. Still, he did his best to help his fellow Saiya-jin through the pain, and though Vegeta would probably never admit it, he appreciated everything that "Kakarrot" did for him. 

"Can I spar too?" Bra piped. 

"No, sweetie," Trunks replied. "Just because you're having the day off, doesn't mean you can bum around. I want you to do some homework." 

"I was talking to otousan, not you!" 

"Do as your brother says, Bra," said Vegeta. His insides tied up in knots when Bra pouted; she looked so much like Bulma when she did that. 

"Fine," she sighed. "I'm going to have a shower." 

"She can be so impossible sometimes," Trunks groaned when she was gone. "I'm trying, otousan, I really am." 

"I know you are," Vegeta replied. He had always known that Bra needed two parents for her to grow up properly. Trunks had been trying to take over as the mother figure, but it didn't exactly work. First of all, he was a man, and second of all, he was still Bra's brother. She had never done what he had told her, and she wasn't about to start now. 

"Juuhachigou, Krillin and Marron might be coming around too. I'll try to get away from the office early. I'd better get going now." 

Vegeta nodded, and watched as Trunks left. He felt sorry for the boy. Trunks had to take over Bulma's job both at the office and at home. He was President of Capsule Corporation, the youngest there had been. And at home, he desperately tried to be Bra's other parent. Vegeta knew that it wasn't fair on Trunks, but he didn't know of any other way it could be done. 

He finished his breakfast, then went to have his own shower. 

* * * * * * 

"Thanks for coming over," Trunks greeted ChiChi, Goku and Goten as he lead them to the living room. "Otousan appreciates it too, even if he doesn't say so." 

"We knew that today would be hard for all of you," ChiChi replied. "Did you take the day off work?" 

"No, I'm just having an extended lunchtime. My boss has no problem with it." 

"But, aren't you the boss…?" Goten asked, confused. 

"It was a joke, Goten." 

"Oh…I…uh…get it…" 

They walked into the living room where Vegeta and Bra were sitting with Krillin, Juuhachigou and Marron who had arrived earlier. ChiChi handed Vegeta the bunch of flowers she was holding. 

"These are from Gohan and Videl," she said. "They wanted to come over too, but neither of them could get out of work." 

Vegeta handed the flowers to Bra. "Put them in a vase, Princess." 

"How is she coping?" ChiChi asked, in a lowered voice. 

"We think she's in denial," Trunks answered for his father. "She's been chirpier than usual today. She wanted to train, too." 

"Don't forget that she snapped at you," Vegeta quietly added. 

"And how are the two of you coping?" Krillin inquired. 

"As well as can be expected I suppose. I have to be strong for Bra," Trunks replied. 

Vegeta did not answer – he didn't need to. He had formed such tight fists with his hands that the nails were digging into his flesh, and blood had started to trickle out between his fingers. 

"It will get easier," Goku tried to reason. 

"You don't know that," whispered Vegeta. 

"Where do you want them now, Daddy?" Bra asked, returning with the flowers, now housed in a crystal vase. 

"The table will be fine," Vegeta answered, his emotionless mask back on. He couldn't let Bra see how upset he was. 

"So, how have you all been?" Trunks asked, once again changing the subject. "I've been so busy with work that I've barely been able to see anyone." 

"Marron's just finished getting all her au pair qualifications," Juuhachigou answered. "But there's not all that much work around here for nannies." 

"What's a 'nanny'?" Vegeta queried. 

"Like a babysitter," Trunks explained. "A nanny is a person that families – usually rich families – hire to look after their children when the parents themselves can't, because of work or something. You watched 'Mary Poppins' with Bra when she was little didn't you?" 

"I fell asleep within the first five minutes. I couldn't stand all that singing. So, a nanny is like a guardian? Like Nappa was to me?" 

"That big oaf was your nanny?" Krillin cried. 

"My home planet, along with my family, was destroyed when I was a child. I needed _someone_ to look after me," Vegeta stated bluntly. He tuned out as the conversation continued. _A nanny…interesting…_

"So, what are you going to do, Marron?" Trunks asked. 

"I might have to move away to somewhere where there is work," Marron answered shyly. She didn't like having the spotlight on her. 

"Move away? You can't move away, Marron!" Bra cried. 

"I don't really want to, Bra-chan. But I have to get some work, somewhere." 

"I'll hire you," Vegeta said, unexpectedly. As the rest of the group stared at him in shock, he shrugged. "Trunks has been trying to fill the role of mother for Bra, but to be blunt, he's not really the right person to do so. I believe that Bra needs a woman to look up to." 

"Y-you want me to be Bra's nanny?" Marron stammered. 

"We both have problems. You need work, but don't want to move away, and I need someone to help me look after my daughter. If I hire you, our problems are solved. Unless, of course, you don't _want_ to work for me." 

Marron glanced from her parents, to Vegeta, then to Bra. She smiled awkwardly. "When do I start?" 


	2. So Much of What You Say

Touched

_2: So Much of What You Say_

Marron checked her bags for the forth time, to make sure that she had everything. Not that it really mattered; if she _had_ forgotten something, her mother or father could easily drop it by Capsule Corp. for her. It was simply something to do while she waited.

She had called Trunks several times over the past few days, to make sure that Vegeta was really serious about hiring her. She kept waiting for someone to turn around and tell her that it was all a joke, then make fun of her gullibility. But every time she rang Trunks, she got the same reply of, "Yes, my father is quite serious about this, and would you please stop calling to check!"

"Well, I just wanted to make sure," Marron had huffed on the last call.

"Making sure is one thing. What you're doing borders on obsession and or harassment." Trunks sighed, but his tone became more gentle. "Look, I don't know why Otousan decided to hire you as Bra's nanny, but I do trust his judgement. I'm sure he knows what he's doing, even if no one else does. Why should you be worrying anyway? It's a job, right? Near home. And Bra's not that much of a brat."

"I suppose you're right."

"Of course I am. Now, I have to get back to work. You're starting tomorrow, right? I'll meet you when you get here."

"Alright, thanks Trunks."

The confidence that she had built up during that conversation had now completely diminished. She was only certain of one thing – how uncertain she felt about this whole situation. _Oh, well. There's nothing I can do about it now. I just have to treat it like any other job._

"Ready, chestnut?" Krillin called.

"Yes, I'm coming!" Marron gathered her bags, and headed towards where the family car was awaiting her arrival.

"You look lovely. Very professional," her father gushed.

Even while training to be a nanny, Marron had altered her general appearance. She was sure that no one would want her as a nanny if she looked younger than the children she was supposed to be caring for, so no more pig-tails, and no more pink. On this day, she had left her hair out, in a style similar to Juuhachigou's when she had first met Krillin. She wore a neat navy jacket and trouser set, with a white shirt underneath. While she may have looked professional, she felt anything but.

"Thank you, Otousan," she mumbled. Very few words were spoken for the rest of the trip to Capsule Corp. As she saw the dome approaching, Marron's stomach knotted up, and she began to feel sick.

"Are you okay?" Juuhachigou asked. "You look very pale."

"I'm fine. Just nervous."

The car pulled into on of Capsule Corp.'s driveways, and came to a halt. While Krillin unloaded Marron's things from the car, Juuhachigou pulled her daughter to the side. 

"Be careful," she urged.

"What of?" Marron asked, confused.

"Vegeta. He's probably not all that stable at the moment. It hasn't been that long since Bulma died, and I can imagine it'll be weird for him to have another woman in the house. Just watch your back."

"Uh…okay." Marron didn't know what her mother had hoped to achieve from the talk, but it had made Marron even more nervous than she had been previously.

"Are you right to take it from here, chestnut?" Krillin asked. "Your mother and I have some things we need to do, so we can't hang around for too long."

"I'll be fine, thanks." She hugged her father.

"We'll call you tonight, see how you're settling in, okay?"

"Okay. Bye, bye!" Trying to look more confident than she felt, Marron staggered up to the front door, juggling all of her bags. The door opened before she had the chance to knock.

"You're early," Vegeta stated.

"I…uh…wanted to make a good impression. Where's Trunks?"

"He has been held up at the office, and asked me to take care of business with you."

"Oh, cool." Marron forced a smile. As if things hadn't been bad enough, she now had to be lead around by the oh-so-creepy Vegeta. Sure, he was her new boss, but she had hoped that she would be able to avoid him as much as possible. That currently seemed very unlikely.

"Do you need help with your bags?" Vegeta asked, his expression impossible to read.

"Uh, yeah, thanks." Marron was shocked when Vegeta took all of them off her.

"This way, I'll show you where your room will be first."

Marron followed the Saiya-jin prince through the giant building, past countless doors leading to who-knows-where before he finally stopped at a door that was identical to the rest.

"I'm going to get lost in here," she joked. Seeing that Vegeta did not seem in the least bit amused, she opted to keep her mouth shut.

"This is your room. I had Trunks and Bra make it up for you last night," Vegeta explained, as he opened the door and stepped inside. "My room is two doors down the hall, and Bra's is directly across."

"Where's Trunks'?"

Vegeta glared at her, and Marron realised how bad it may have sounded to him, so she quickly added. "In case Bra wants him, and can't get to him or something."

He seemed less than impressed with her explanation, but replied, "If you follow this hall to the end, you will find the boy's room." 

Vegeta placed her bags down, and motioned that she follow him again. He lead her back down the hall that they had just come up, pointing out the bathroom she should use as they passed it. They finally ended up in the kitchen.

"Can you cook?" he asked.

Marron nodded. "Fairly well. I tended to do the cooking at home."

"Good, then you shall also cook here. But remember, here you will be feeding three Saiya-jin. Their requirements are different from humans…and _jinzouningen_."

"W-what do I need to know?"

"Saiya-jin require a greater amount of protein in their diets, so vegetarian meals are not to be prepared. Also, we tend to eat a larger amount than most humans, so you should take that into account."

"So basically, I should cook as though I'm feeding ten instead of four."

"Make it fifteen. Bra is starting to go through growth-spurts." 

"Where is Bra at the moment?"

"At school," Vegeta replied. "She should be home at around four. You'll have to find something to occupy yourself with until then. I'm going to train."

"I'll unpack my bags, then start thinking about dinner."

Vegeta nodded, then started to walk away, but he stopped. Without turning around, her mumbled. "Oh, by the way…nice suit."

He then continued on his way. Marron flushed bright red, partly from embarrassment, partly from anger. Was he making fun of her? _Arrogant jerk!_ Marron stormed up towards her room, trying not to think of ways that she could poison the Prince. 

Unfortunately, her earlier prediction turned out to be true. With all the doors identical, Marron could not remember which one was hers. She cursed Vegeta for shutting the door behind them when they had left.

"I think I've gone too far up…or maybe it was one of these." Marron let out a frustrated sigh, and finally just chose a door at random. It wasn't her room. Perhaps if it had just been a guestroom she would have simply closed the door and tried again. But curiosity always seemed to get the better of her. 

The door Marron had chosen belonged to Vegeta's room. It was not how Marron had expected the room belonging to the Saiya-jin Prince to look. _But, I suppose, it used to be Bulma's room as well._ Against her better judgement, Marron stepped further inside. The bed was unmade, so absent-mindedly she roughly fixed it. Next to the bed, on a table, were a large amount of photo frames.

"So many pictures of Bulma…" Marron whispered. She had had no idea that Vegeta had felt so strongly for his late wife. Sure, she saw his grief, but this room showed another side. Marron smiled at a photo of Bulma and Vegeta together, which must have been taken when Trunks was only young.

In front of the photos was another unexpected thing: a vase of blood-red roses. They seemed fresh, and Marron remembered that there was a rosebush in Capsule Corp.'s garden. Beneath the table, in a trashcan, less lively roses had been violently tossed.

Marron reached out to touch the fresh roses.

"What are you doing in here?"

Marron gasped, and looked up to the door, which she had left open. Vegeta was standing in the doorway, glaring accusingly at her.

"I…I…I got lost. I'm sorry," she stammered. "I just saw the bed was unmade, so I thought I'd fix it. And…and then I saw the photos. They're very nice."

"You are not to come into this room again, understood?"

Marron nodded. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to intrude."

"Just get out."

She pushed her way past him, and, remembering that Vegeta's room had been two doors down from her own, finally found her room. Before shutting the door behind her, she saw that Vegeta had closed the door of his own room, and was walking back down the hallway.

Finally alone in her misery, Marron cursed herself. "Great work, Marron. Get caught in your boss's bedroom, looking at pictures of his dead wife on your first day!"

She started unpacking her bags, and hoped that she'd be able to make it up to him later. _I'll have to make a really nice dinner or something._


	3. I Don't Leave You Alone

Touched

_3: I Don't Leave You Alone_

"Marron-chan!" Bra screamed the minute she was home from school. She smothered her new nanny in a big hug.

"Hello, Bra-chan," Marron greeted. She was almost embarrassed when she realised that the twelve-year-old was practically the same height as her. _Lousy short-genes from otousan! Why couldn't I have taken after my mother?_ "How was your day at school?"

Bra gave Marron an odd look. "It's your first day, and you're already into it!"

"I like doing this sort of thing. Besides, I'm trying to make a good impression."

"That's cool. School was pretty boring, as usual. It's so annoying that I have to go to school with such morons. And they all think they're so good, because it's a private school, but none of them are anywhere near as rich as us!" Bra sniffed the air. "That smells good. What are you cooking?"

"Dinner. It's just lasagne, nothing special."

"Well, I hope you're a better cook than nii-chan. He always seems to burn stuff."

"Speak of the devil," Marron commented as Trunks walked through the front door. "Nice to see you, finally."

"I'm so sorry, Marron," Trunks apologised, sheepishly. "I got held up. Otousan showed you around didn't he?"

"Uh, yeah, he did." Marron did not wish to disclose any more information about her day with Vegeta. Especially not about their little run in; she was probably in enough trouble as it was.

"So, you're the new cook too? I'm sure Bra will be happy about that, right Bra-chan?"

"Yes, Bra just mentioned your cooking skills, or lack there of." Marron smiled. "Oh, by the way, is there a specific time you like to have your meals?"

"Yeah, when tousan yells, 'Woman, where's my damn food?'" Trunks said. His smile faded as he realised what he had said. "Of course, he tends not to say the 'woman' now days."

Bra looked at her feet, and Marron shifted uncomfortably. She supposed it was a good thing that Trunks had brought the situation about. She hadn't known what she was going to do if there was a mentioning of Bulma. She was just glad Vegeta wasn't around. But then, she was always glad when Vegeta wasn't around.

Marron forced a smile. "Well, it's just about ready now. Do you think your father would be offended if we asked him to come and eat now?"

Trunks shrugged, thankful for the change of subject. "It's your funeral. You go ask him."

Marron was about to refuse, since she thought Vegeta was still probably mad at her, but then she realised that Trunks would expect an explanation; an explanation that she didn't particularly want to give.

"Fine," she mumbled. "Keep an eye on the lasagne, please Bra."

"Sure thing, Marron," Bra chirped. "I won't let nii-chan burn it!"

Marron found her way to Vegeta's Gravity Room without too much trouble. She tapped lightly on the door, but there was no answer. She knocked a little louder, and was still refused acknowledgement. Finally, starting to become impatient, she opened the door.

"_Baka_ of a woman!" Vegeta roared, from his prostate position on the floor. 

"I-I'm sorry!" Marron stammered.

"You could have at least knocked."

Marron felt her face go red again, and it was definitely with anger this time. "I did! But you ignored me."

Vegeta didn't even bother to deny it. "Well, what do you want? Snooping around again?"

She chose to ignore his comment. "Dinner is ready, if you wish to join us."

He snorted. "It's about time." He picked up a towel and wrapped it around his shoulders. "I'm starving."

Vegeta pushed his way past Marron and started towards the kitchen. Marron glared after him, wondering if taking this job had been the worst mistake of her life. But as she stared after Vegeta in anger, a completely random – and unwanted – thought entered her mind. 

_He has an amazing body… EW! I can't believe I just thought that._ She shook her head to clear anymore perverted thoughts, and hurried after her boss.

*   *   *   *   *   *

"Yum, this is _so_ good, Marron!" Bra gushed. 

"Yeah, not bad," Trunks agreed.

Marron blushed, and quietly said thanks. She glanced over at Vegeta, hoping to receive some sort of compliment from him also, but the Saiya-jin Prince did not even look at her. He had, however, had many helpings, so she supposed that was close enough. 

"Next time we eat, Vegeta, you'll have to have a shower first," she joked, trying to make conversation.

It had the opposite effect. Vegeta stopped eating for long enough to give her a stern look. Bra stifled a giggle, and Trunks smirked. Marron cringed, awaiting a verbal attack. But Vegeta just looked back at his food, and replied, "I'll try to remember."

This was the third time in one day that Marron had wanted to kick herself. _Maybe it's true what they say about blondes…_ Fortunately, Bra was going to rescue her from the current pit of self-loathing.

"So, where's your room? Is it near mine? If it is, we can stay up talking and stuff."

"Tonight's a school night, Bra," Trunks scolded. "You know you're not supposed to stay up late…"

Bra's mouth curled into a scowl, and she glared at her brother. "Those are _your_ rules. Marron's looking after me now, not you. So _she_ gets to decide when I go to bed."

"Trunks does have a point there," Marron said, gently. She didn't want to make Bra her enemy as well; she had enough in this household. Searching for a peace offering, she added: "Maybe you can invite Pan over on Friday night, and we can get some videos."

Bra's scowl instantly turned into a grin. "Wow, cool! You're the greatest Marron!"

Marron glanced around the table, and saw that everyone had finished eating. She stood, to start clearing the table, as she was used to doing at her own home. 

"What are you doing, Marron?" Trunks asked. "The robots will get that."

"Robots?" Marron repeated, stupidly. 

"Yeah, the cleaning robots. Cleaning is not a part of your job, so don't worry about it."

"That's good to know." Marron thought for a moment at what she should do if she didn't have to clean. "Bra, do you have any homework?"

"Homework?" Bra whined. "But…"

"Homework is important if you want to get through school. I can help you if you'd like."

"Okay, then. I'll bet you're _heaps_ smart."

"Not as smart as your mother…" Marron cringed yet again. _Strike four, Marron. You're out._ "A-and Trunks is very smart too. Has he been helping you much?"

"No, he's always too busy."

"Well, let's get started on it now. Then maybe you can watch some TV when you're done."

As Marron passed Trunks, he smiled and winked at her, indicating that he thought she was doing a good job. Amazingly, it wasn't Trunks that Marron wanted to impress, and she had only just realised that. Marron looked at Vegeta hopefully. Was there some sign of him being impressed? Not a chance. He was already leaving the table.

Marron sighed, and followed after Bra.

*   *   *   *   *   *

Marron was completely exhausted by the time she got to bed. She never realised how hyperactive Bra could be. It had taken her a while to convince the young Princess that she really did need to go to bed, so she could wake up bright and early for school the next day. Marron did not have anywhere near as much trouble getting to sleep herself. In fact, she was asleep the minute her head hit the pillow.

When he had at last finished his training for the day, Vegeta said goodnight to his son – who was finishing up some work for the next day – and made his way to his room. But seeing that Marron had left the door to her room open, he went to close it.

Bulma had always liked to have doors closed, so after she died, Vegeta had made it a habit to keep every single door in his home firmly shut. He knew that Marron wouldn't have known that, but he still felt it his duty to maintain the tradition.

Taken hold of the handle, he absentmindedly glanced into the room, and saw Marron sleeping peacefully. Vegeta felt a pang of heartbreak as he stood there. How many times had he watched Bulma sleep, like this? Nights when she'd gotten tired of waiting for him to leave the Gravity Room and just gone to bed alone. Some nights, he had silently climbed into their bed, just wanting to watch her sleep like the angel she was. Other nights, he had been especially noisy, so she would wake, and they could make love.

Marron stirred in her sleep, which stirred Vegeta out his dream. He had been imagining that Marron was in fact Bulma. If he tried hard enough, they did look similar. But Marron was blonde. And her eyes, though blue like Bulma's, were much lighter, the icy blue of her mother's eyes. Vegeta looked down at his feet, and accepted the truth that Marron didn't look a thing like Bulma.

He quietly shut the door, leaving a smear of blood on the handle. He hadn't even noticed that he had been digging his nails into his palm again.

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	4. Never Find Someone Quite Like You

Touched

_4: Never Find Someone Quite Like You_

Marron had set her alarm so that she would wake before Bra was supposed to. She thought that she would try to make another attempt to get on Vegeta's good side by preparing breakfast and a packed lunch for his princess. Plus, it seemed rather stupid for the nanny to sleep in while the child she was caring for was up and ready.

Looking through the clothes which she had carefully put away the previous afternoon, Marron chose a slightly less professional outfit. She had showered the night before. Hopefully Vegeta would not find it necessary to comment on this outfit; pin stripe black pants and a mauve blouse. Marron left her hair out again and made a quick check of her appearance before walking towards the door.

While she had realised earlier that the door to her room had been closed, she didn't think until that moment that she had left it open when she had gone to bed. Someone had shut it for her. As she opened the door, she saw a small smear of blood on the door handle. Marron checked her own hands and there were no signs of any injury. She inspected the smear, knowing that there was some significance, which she could not remember.

She gave up and started to walk down the corridor, but stopped when she finally remembered something from several days before. When Vegeta had been asked how he was coping, he had caused his hands to bleed by gripping them too tightly. Marron realised it had been Vegeta who had closed her door. Vegeta had stood in her doorway. 

_Was he watching me sleep?_ Marron thought, suddenly very paranoid. Her mother's words echoed in her ears. _"Vegeta. He's probably not all that stable at the moment. It hasn't been that long since Bulma died, and I can imagine it'll be weird for him to have another woman in the house. Just watch your back."_ Marron shuddered, but tried to push the thought to the back of her mind. _I'm just being paranoid. He probably hurt himself while training and left the mark while he quickly closed my door._

Of course, Marron decided that she would always remember to close the door to her room from now on.

*   *   *   *   *   *

Vegeta heard Marron leave her room and walk downstairs. He assumed she was going to start preparing breakfast for his family, and against his better judgment, he was impressed. She certainly was trying hard to please someone.

_I hope it's not the boy_, Vegeta thought. He knew that Trunks was reaching the human age when men often chose a woman and settled down. Vegeta frowned. Had he seen Trunks looking at Marron yesterday? He couldn't deny that the daughter of Krillin was very attractive, but she wasn't the woman he wanted his son to mate with.

Vegeta rose, and realised that he was being stupid. He hadn't seen Trunks look at Marron at all. And Marron was just doing her job.

He walked slow downstairs, passing his groggy son, who was on his way up the stairs. Vegeta thought that Trunks had probably fallen asleep at the table while trying to finish off some work. It happened fairly often.

A rather delicious sent was coming from the kitchen. Vegeta followed his nose towards it. 

"Good morning, Vegeta," Marron greeted, in rather obvious forced cheer. 

Vegeta grunted in reply. It did not pass his notice that Marron was purposely avoiding eye contact with him. She busied herself cooking something in a large frypan. "What are you making?"

"An omelette," she answered. "I hope that's okay. I put some bacon in it."

"That's fine." Vegeta regarded her outfit. It was less business-like than the previous day, but still a little over the top for a woman who was simply caring for his daughter. "You don't have to keep wearing clothes like that. They'll get dirty. I wouldn't care if you wore jeans or something casual like that. Neither would Trunks or Bra."

He saw her flush red again. She always seemed to do that, or maybe he just noticed it more on her porcelain skin. She replied in a scarce whisper, "I'll try to remember that tomorrow."

"Morning all," Trunks greeted, appearing considerably more awake than he had been when Vegeta had first seen him. "Marron, that smells fantastic. We should have hired you a long time ago!"

"Thanks, Trunks." Marron smiled, and Vegeta felt his earlier fear rekindle. "Would you do me a favour and wake Bra."

"Sure thing, though you could have asked me _before_ I came all the way down here."

"Well, I would ask you to watch the omelette…"

"I'm going, I'm going." Trunks left the room.

Vegeta sat at the kitchen bench, noticing two brown paper bags. "What's this?"

"Lunch for Trunks and Bra," said Marron, without looking at him. She was too busy serving the omelette onto plates. 

"They usually buy their own."

"Well, I thought I'd give them a homemade lunch for once." She placed a plate piled with omelette and four slices of toast in front of the Prince. "Bon appetite!" 

Vegeta mumbled his thanks, and sniffed the food carefully. It smelled fantastic, and it only took him a moment or two to scoff it all down. By the time he had finished, Trunks had returned with Bra.

"You made breakfast, too?" Bra cried. She sat next to her father and tried some of the meal Marron had prepared. "Wow, this is great!"

"Definitely," Trunks agreed with his mouthful. He saw the paper bags. "And you made us lunch! What is it?"

Marron beamed at the compliments. "Well, I gave you some of the leftover lasagne – I hope you can heat it up at work. Plus there's some yoghurt, a couple of pieces of fruit and a sandwich. Bra's is basically the same, except I gave her two sandwiches and no lasagne. As far as I know, schools don't have microwaves."

"Oh, mine does," Bra giggled. " It's a rich school."

"Oh, of course. I forgot."

It almost disturbed Vegeta how quickly Marron had become a part of his family. She had only been there a day, and already Bra adored her. But then, she had been a close friend beforehand. He was sure that Bra would not have warmed so quickly to a complete stranger.

Trunks glanced at his watch. "Alright Bra, you'd better have a shower and get ready if you want me to drop you at school."

"Yes, nii-chan," Bra sighed in a bored tone. She left her seat and stomped back to her room.

Trunks also left, once again leaving Marron and Vegeta alone. Vegeta noticed that Marron seemed uncomfortable, but he didn't really care.

"Would you like some more?" she offered.

"Sure." He handed her his plate and watched as she piled it up again. He had surprised himself. In recent times, he would never have eaten this much for breakfast. It seemed having Marron around was having an effect on him too.

While Vegeta ate his second large helping of breakfast, Trunks and Bra returned for a second time. They both picked up their lunches. 

Bra hugged Marron. "I'll see you when I get home, Marron!"

"Have fun at school, Bra-chan," Marron replied. "Don't work too hard, Trunks."

Trunks laughed. "I never do." He leant over and placed a soft kiss on Marron's cheek. "Look after tousan for me."

"Yeah, sure."

Vegeta had seen the kiss. His eyes narrowed as he thought at what it could mean. He knew that Marron had been friends with his son and Kakarrot's youngest son for a long time. The kiss could have just been a friendly gesture. But it could have been something else. 

He stood and left the kitchen, without even telling Marron he where he was going. But she'd probably guess. He needed to train to get his mind off everything.

*   *   *   *   *   *

"Yes, otousan, I'm doing fine!" Marron assured. Her parents hadn't gotten around to calling her the night before, so she had called them.

"Bra's not too much of a handful for you?" Krillin asked. "I mean, she could think she's too old for a nanny."

"Oh, no. She seems to love having me around. Last night, I helped her with her homework, and I told her she could invite Pan over on Friday night."

"What about Trunks?"

"I'm not _his_ nanny!" Marron laughed. "I don't seem him all that often, because he's at work. I don't see Vegeta much either, but that's because he spends so much time training."

"You've only been there for a day, and listen to you! You're a regular part of the family." Krillin laughed. "Anyway, your mother wants to talk to you. I love you, chestnut!"

"You too, daddy!" Marron called.

"So, how is it?" Juuhachigou asked in her no-nonsense tone. 

"Great. I don't even need to do that much! I've just been cooking and helping…"

"That's not what I meant. I meant how is Vegeta. He hasn't done anything weird has he?"

"No! Why are you so certain he will?" Marron couldn't believe her mother sometimes. And because of the way her mother was thinking, she decided that it would probably be better not to tell her some of the events of the previous day. "I don't even see him all that often."

"Yeah, alright, whatever," Juuhachigou sighed. "Just remember what I said to you."

"How could I forget it?" Marron scoffed. "I'll talk to you later." Juuhachigou had already hung up. Marron sighed, and said aloud. "Geez, what is her problem!?" 

She flicked on the television to get her mind off everything.


End file.
